Fermentor

ABSTRACT

A FERMENTOR COMPRISING A GLASS VESSEL WITH AN OPENING HAVING A RADIALLY EXTENDING THICKENED NECK PORTION. A HOLLOW CYLINDRICAL SLEEVE SURROUNDS THE NECK AND A LID IS SEATED ON THE NECK. SEALING RINGS, ONE BETWEEN THE SLEEVE AND THE NECK, AND ONE BETWEEN THE SLEEVE AND LID, ENSURE HERMETIC SEALING OF THE VESSEL. THE LID IS RETAINED BY A SECURING RING ENGAGING THE SLEEVE FOR QUICK ASSEMBLY OF THE FERMENTOR AND FOR WITHSTANDING HIGH PRESSURE IN THE VESSEL.

ug- 22 1972 A. BAERr-'uss 3,686,073

FERMENTOR Filed Sept. 17. 1969 L; A l

United States Patent O 3,686,073 FERMENTOR Achilles Baerfuss, Oberwil, Switzerland, assignor to Aktiengesellschaft fr Biologische Verfahrenstechnik, Basel, Switzerland Filed Sept. 17, 1969, Ser. No. 858,590 -Claims priority, application Switzerland, May 7, 1969, 7,031/69 Int. Cl. C12 b 1 00 U.S. Cl. 195-139 8 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A fermentor comprising a glass vessel with an opening having a radially extending thickened neck portion. A hollow cylindrical sleeve surrounds the neck and a lid is seated on the neck. Sealing rings, one between the sleeve and the neck, and one between the sleeve and lid, ensure hermetic sealing of the vessel. The lid is retained by a securing ring engaging the sleeve for quick assembly of the fermentor and for withstanding high pressure in the vessel.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION This invention relates to fermentors.

In a fermentor it is required that the glass vessel and the lid should be connected together so tightly that equalisation of pressure with the outside is not possible either when a super-atmospheric pressure or a subatmospheric pressure exists inside the glass vessel. Hitherto, fermentors have been provided comprising a glass vessel having a ange provided with a ground surface on which the lid rests secured by means of a screw closure device, and a sealing element is disposed between the lid and the ground surface. A disadvantage of these fermentors is that for Sterilisation they must be introduced into an autoclave. This is because small volume fermentors are not usually provided with a closure dev-ice capable of withstanding the pressure occurring in the interior during Sterilisation. Although it is possible to design screw closure devices so dimensioned to withstand said pressure, the dimensions of the fermentor would exceed the dimensions of apparatus usually employed in laboratories, and additional tools and suitable servicing personnel would be necessary.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention there is provided a fermentor comprising a glass vessel, a cylindrical opening to the glass vessel, edge to the cylindrical opening being thickened radially outwards, a lid, a retaining device for securing the lid on the vessel, a sealing ring disposed between the thickened edge and the retaining device, and a sealing ring disposed between an edge of the lid and the retaining device. Preferably, the fermentor further comprises a hollow cylindrical body providing the retaining device, said hollow cylindrical body surrounding the lid and a part of the glass vessel, a supporting ring disposed between said body and the glass wall, a carrier element of thermally insulating material supported on said supporting ring, a groove provided in a rim portion of the hollow cylindrical body, a securing fastening ring extending into said groove thereby pre venting the lid being removed from the vessel. The novel fermentor makes it possible to dispense with the use of screws and the tools associated therewith. Additionally this construction provides a fermentor having a high speed closure, that is to say a closure device which can be opened and closed rapidly and without the aid of tools. In addition, glass vessels of this type can be delivered from stock by specialist dealers, so that it is not necessary yfor the user to maintain his own stock.

3,686,073 Patented Aug. 22, 1972 ice BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING DESCRIPTION `OF THE INVENTION The fermentor illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises a glass vessel 1, a metal lid 2, and a retaining device 3 for securing the lid 2 on the glass vessel 1. The glass vessel 1, which has a cylindrical opening, is provided with a thickened edge 11 the thickened portion of which extends radially outwards. The thickened edge 11 has a surface 11a which is divergent in the direction of the lid 2, while a surface 11b forms with said surface 11a an external angle of more than The lid 2 is provided with thermaly insulating spacers 7, which 0n the one hand are inserted into bores 2b in said lid 2 and on the other and rest on the edge 11e` of the glass vessel 1, so that between the inner surface of the metal lid 2 and glass edge llc an insulatnig air layer is formed. In addition, the lid 2 is supported on a shoulder 3b on the hollow cylindrical body 3. Between the edge of the lid 2 and the hollow cylindrical 'body 3 of the retaining device there is disposed a sealing ring 9, which is mounted in a groove 2a in the lid 2. A sealing ring 6 is likewise disposed between the surface 11a of the thickened portion 11 of the glass and the hollow cylindrical body 3 of the retaining device, the ring being mounted in a groove 3c. The hollow cylindrical body 3 surrounds the lid 2 and a part of the glass vessel 1, while between said body and the glass wall there is dipsosed a multipart suporting ring 5, which carries a carrier element 4 of thermal insulating material and is mounted in a groove 3d. Along the edge of the lid 2 there is disposed a fastening ring S which partly extends into a groove 3a provided in the hollow cylindrical body 3 in order to prevent the movement of the lid perpendicularly to its surface away from the vessel 1.

The vessel 1 closed by the lid 2 can be opened easily and rapidly. For this purpose the fastening ring 8 is loosened and the lid 2 together with the sealing ring 9 and the spacers 7 are pulled olf the vessel. The glass vessel can easily be extracted from the hollow cylindrical body 3. The surface 11a of the thickened portion 11 of the glass must extend in such a manner that the sealing ring 6 is pressed into the groove 3c when the glass vessel 1 is closed.

The advantage of a form of sealing of this type consists firstly in that the glass vessel can be sealed without the use of screws, since this construction forms a rapid closure device for the lid 2, which can be closed without the application of any particular force in such a manner that it will also withstand the pressures which occur during Sterilisation of its interior; secondly, this type of sealing permits simple replacement of the vessels, since the vessels can immediately be lifted out of the whole cylindrical body. It is thus possible, for example, to prepare a nutrient medium in a vessel anywhere in the establishment and then to insert the vessel prepared in this manner and use it as a component of the fermentor and subsequently to forward it elsewhere with its contents complete without it being necessary for the contents to be transferred to another vessel.

il claim:

1. A fermentor comprising, in combination, a glass vessel provided with a substantially cylindrical opening, said glass vessel incorporating a radially outwardly thickened edge disposed externally of said cylindrical opening of said glass vessel, a lid for closing said glass vessel, a retaining device for securing said lid on said glass vessel, a first sealing ring disposed between said thickened edge of said glass vessel and said retaining device, said lid including an edge, and a second sealing ring disposed between said edge of said lid and said retaining device.

2. A fermentor as defined in claim 1, said retaining device comprising a substantially hollow cylindrical body surrounding said lid and part of said glass vessel, saidl glass vessel including glass wall means, a supporting ring disposed between said hollow cylindrical body and said glass wall means of said glass vessel, a carrier element of thermally insulating material supported on said supporting ring, said hollow cylindrical body including a rim portion provided with a groove, a securing fastening ring extending into said groove at said rim portion of said hollow cylindrical body for preventing said lid from being unintentionally removed from said glass vessel.

3. A fermentor as defined in claim 2, wherein said hollow cylindrical body comprises a groove for accommodating said supporting ring, and a groove retaining said first sealing ring disposed between said hollow cylindrical body and said thickened edge of said glass vessel.

4. A fermentor as defined in claim 3, wherein said groove retaining said first sealing ring is provided at said hollow cylindrical body, and said first sealing ring when positioned in said groove provided therefor being disposed immediately between and in direct contact with said hollow cylindrical body and said thickened portion of said glass vessel respectively.

5. A fermentor as defined in claim 1, wherein said edge of said lid is provided with a groove receiving said second sealing ring.

6. A fermentor as defined in claim 5, wherein said edge of said lid provided with said groove for said second sealing ring defines a peripheral edge, and said second sealing ring when disposed in said last-mentioned groove of said lid being located immediately between and in direct contact with said retaining device and said lid.

7. A fermentor as defined in claim 1, wherein said thickened portion of said glass vessel possesses a surface which is in contact with said first sealing ring, said thickened portion surface being outwardly divergent in the direction of said lid.

8. A fermentor as defined in claim 1, wherein said lid is formed of metal, said retaining device being provided with shoulder means for supporting said metallic lid, said glass vessel having an upper edge, and thermally insulating spacers resting upon said upper edge of said glass vessel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,963,675 6/1934 Plainevaux et al. 220-55 AN 3,063,594 11/1962 Gerard et al. 220-55 AN 3,483,089 12/ 1969 Brewer 195-127 ALVIN E. TANENHOLTZ, Primary Examiner U.S. C1. X.R. 220--46 

